Consultant – Preparation of DAPM Office Management Plan (OMP) 2026 – 2029 – Ref#577973

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential. 

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone. 

And we never give up. 

For every child, hope.

Consultancy Title: Consultant – Preparation of DAPM Office Management Plan (OMP) 2026 – 2029

Section/Division/Duty Station: Division of Analysis, Planning & Monitor, Programme Group, UNICEF NYHQ

Duration: 15 January 2025 to 30 June 2025

Home/ Office Based: NYHQ / Remote

About UNICEF 

If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about making a lasting difference for children, the world’s leading children’s rights organization would like to hear from you. For 70 years, UNICEF has been working on the ground in 190 countries and territories to promote children’s survival, protection and development. The world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments. UNICEF has over 12,000 staff in more than 145 countries.

BACKGROUND

Purpose of Activity/ Assignment:

The Division of Data, Analytics, Planning and Monitoring (DAPM) was established in 2019 to drive decision making and organizational learning, improve effectiveness and achievement of results of UNICEF and its partners to realize the rights and improve the life of every child. DAPM promotes the use of data, analytics, planning and monitoring, and related aspects of strategic country programme management, to achieve transformative impact for children.

The Division is responsible for driving, shaping and guiding UNICEF’s evidence-informed analysis, corporate and country planning, programme implementation and related risk management, monitoring, knowledge management and organizational performance. As such, DAPM enables the organization to deliver on results in a more coherent manner, based on agile and contextualized programming processes, and on data, evidence, and analytics, as well as the application of human-rights based and results-based approaches.

In its Office Management Plan (OMP) 2022 – 2025 and further refined during the Mid-Term Review in 2024, DAPM made a commitment to deliver on four overarching divisional priorities that are supporting the achievement of results of the Strategic plan, as follows:

1. Strengthening the data and analytics function to inform UNICEF decision-making and contribute to positioning UNICEF as a global knowledge leader to achieve results for children at scale and with speed.
2. Transforming monitoring, improving risk management, and safeguarding, and strengthening partnership in programming across all contexts.
3. Enhancing UNICEF’s programme effectiveness and efficiency through improving the quality of programming, including by leveraging data, technology, and digital transformation to deliver results for children at scale.
4. Reinforcing organizational change management, knowledge management, learning and adaptation to enhance performance and results.

A new Strategic Plan is in the making for the period 2026 – 2029 and the direction of steer is on accelerating results at scale towards the achievement of SDG targets in 2030. The Strategic Plan, 2026-2029 will continue the outcome orientation of the current Strategic Plan with ambitious and realistic targets owned by countries.

Five high-level areas are being considered where UNICEF can strategically leverage its comparative advantage to make a measurable contribution to the realization of children’s rights:

• Averting child deaths,
• Supporting children to learn and obtain skills,
• Pulling children out from multidimensional poverty,
• Protecting children from violence
• Protecting children from the impacts of climate change

Proposed Programmatic Shifts for the next Strategic Plan include:

• Focus: Transition from a broad menu of results to an organizational prioritization of key results, with a commitment to their achievement.
• Scale and Impact: Move from programme outputs to leveraging scale in order to reach entire populations of children, including national, subnational, group-based, transboundary, and last-mile contexts. We aim at reaching out scale through country systems and leveraging domestic and external financing.
• Differentiation: Shift from uniformity in programmes to a more intentional refinement of programmatic offerings and strategies.

To aid the DAPM in preparing a new Office Management Plan (OMP) 2026 – 2029, the division organised a Strategic Moment of Review and Reflection (SMRR) on 11-12 December 2024 to help unpack achievements made in the 2022 – 2025 OMP and build consensus on what and how DAPM’s OMP 2026 – 2029 will contribute to the new Strategic Plan.

Other on-going initiatives which will inform the 2026 – 2029 OMP include:

1. Implementation of the PMDA Transformation (refer to PMDA vision and value proposition)
2. Data Transformation initiative
3. Strengthening DAPM work on Climate Change Data. A careful thought is needed on the current coupling with WASH.
4. Optimisation of the recent integration of partnership implementation risk management, Environmental and Social Safeguards (ESS) and Safeguarding
5. Build further and deepen the corporate financing mechanisms for core data systems and services
6. Completing the policy and strategy environment to encourage safe use of all kinds of data, including through use of AI
7. Establishing tools and processes for situational data on children to be available and processed in Open Access as well as Open Data principles.
8. Data as a Program; Africa Strategy Data offer; Minium Data Package for Children.
9. As part of Head Quarters Efficiency Initiative (HQEI), DAPM will complete the relocation of Data Teams from New York to Florence to be co-located with UNICEF Office of Research and Foresight. Analysis on areas of enhancement of collaboration between Data and Research is underway.

Scope of Work:

Facilitation of the OMP Process

DAPM Senior Management will Guide the OMP development in line with the organizational requirements and shifts emanating from UNICEF Executive Management Fora, SP Governance Mechanisms, the GMT, the Executive Board, donor engagements, etc.

The consultant will work closely with the OMP secretariat under the leadership of the Chief, Planning and Operations

The consultancy work will require strong competency in Strategic Planning with Rights based Planning and RBM expertise, global level experience with planning for UN or UNICEF , needing minimum supervision, able to coordinate and work well with people and teams, good writer.

Background Documents

• SP 2026 – 2029 Background Papers
• PMDA Vision and Roadmap paper
• DAPM SMRR Report
• OMP guidelines

The objectives of the OMP consultancy will be to consolidate DAPM OMP including the following:

• DAPM’s OMP 2026 – 2029 contribution to the new Strategic Plan.
• Incorporate actions to operationalise the PMDA Vision in HQ and ROs/COs.
• Key strategic collaborations with the other UNICEF evidence functions, programme group and EMOPs.
• DAPM Budget, Results Framework and Staffing structure

Methodology

The Review should include a methodology suitable to the scope of work, including, but not limited to, the following:

• A Desk Review of existing documents including SP background documents, PMDA Vision and Roadmap, Outcome paper on DAPM SMRR, inputs from units in the office of Chief Data Officer, Data and Analytics and Programme Effectiveness Team
• Interviews and surveys with internal (DAPM) and external stakeholders such as other HQ Divisions (PG, EMOPS, GORAF, Evaluation, DFAM, ROs/Cos – PMDA teams as relevant.
• Analysis leading to appropriate framing of DAPM priorities and OMP 2026 – 2029
• Framing of an appropriate Results Framework 2026 – 2029

Terms of Reference / Key Deliverables:

Prepare a conceptual approach and methodology for preparation of the new OMP 

• An inception report describing the review the conceptual approach and methodology with detailed timeline for each phase of the Review (24 January 2025)

Desk Review of existing documents including SP background documents, PMDA Vision and Roadmap, Outcome paper on DAPM SMRR. Conduct interviews and surveys with internal (DAPM) and external stakeholders such as other HQ Divisions (PG, EMOPS, GORAF, Evaluation, DFAM, ROs/COs – PMDA teams as relevant. Includes at least two participatory discussions are to be organized (at the start and at the end)

• An analytical report focusing on the outlook of the Division including a clear link on the Division’s contribution to the SP 2026 – 2029, a practical road map for implementing PMDA vision in HQ and ROs/Cos and key DAPM priorities for the period 2026 – 2029 (27 February 2025 )

Draft DAPM Office Management Plan 2026 – 2029

• A detailed draft OMP document for review by the divisional management (21 March 2025)
• A detailed results Framework and Budget for review by the divisional management (21 March 2025)

Follow-up discussions and additional work, if required 

• Additional exit meetings/ presentation of recommendations, etc. (30 June 2025)

Qualifications

Education: 

Advanced university degree (Masters) in the area of Strategic Management or other related organization development fields. A bachelor’s degree complemented 7 years of professional experience will be considered.

Work experience:

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required *:

At least 5 years of experience in Strategic Planning with Rights based Planning and RBM expertise. Global level experience with planning for UN or UNICEF, able to coordinate and work well with people and teams, good writer.

Requirements:

Completed profile in UNICEF’s e-Recruitment system and

• Upload copy of academic credentials
• Financial proposal that will include/ reflect :
• the costs per each deliverable and the total lump-sum for the whole assignment (in US$) to undertake the terms of reference.
• travel costs and daily subsistence allowance, if internationally recruited or travel is required as per TOR.
• Any other estimated costs: visa, health insurance, and living costs as applicable.
• Indicate your availability
• Any emergent / unforeseen duty travel and related expenses will be covered by UNICEF.
• At the time the contract is awarded, the selected candidate must have in place current health insurance coverage.
• Payment of professional fees will be based on submission of agreed satisfactory deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment in case the deliverables submitted are not up to the required standard or in case of delays in submitting the deliverables on the part of the consultant.

U.S. Visa information:

With the exception of the US Citizens, G4 Visa and Green Card holders, should the selected candidate and his/her household members reside in the United States under a different visa, the consultant and his/her household members are required to change their visa status to G4, and the consultant’s household members (spouse) will require an Employment Authorization Card (EAD) to be able to work, even if he/she was authorized to work under the visa held prior to switching to G4. 

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s core values of Commitment, Diversity and Integrity and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results. View our competency framework at: Here

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment. 

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check. 

Remarks: 

Individuals engaged under a consultancy will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants. Consultants are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws. 

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts. 

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